


skate this way

by ritokki



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Skating, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Pining, man i just really love hyuckhei u know, marksung nomin and renle are a big part of it but the others not so much but i still love them, rapper!yukhei, skater!donghyuck, they all swear like teens do so beware, theyre a family im telling ya, this is just super soft they my babies, yes this is a dancing on ice au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-14 18:08:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18481588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ritokki/pseuds/ritokki
Summary: Yukhei wasn't made for the ice. But Donghyuck was, and Donghyuck was his guiding light in this unfamiliar world of sequins and sparkles.original (self-made) prompt: Big Clumsy Rapper Yukhei….. Tiny Feisty Skater Donghyuck…….. competing against the other dreamies….





	skate this way

**Author's Note:**

> i started this FOUR MONTHS ago im so happy i finally finished !!! for anyone that's confused, dancing on ice is a british tv show where celebrities team up with professional skaters to compete against each other, and heres [their wiki page](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_on_Ice_\(series_11\)) just in case ur a lil confused djksf bUT the main info you need to know is:
> 
> 1\. the competition lasts for ten weeks, and ive used my creative licence to make eliminations in weeks 2, 4, and 5-9  
> 2\. eliminations are decided in a skate-off, where two pairs compete and the four judges vote for who they want to stay in the competition  
> 3\. competitors receive a score out of 40 after each performance  
> 4\. the finale is different to how its supposed to be purely bc i couldn't find another way to make it work
> 
> the videos i based some of the performances off are linked at the bottom, enjoy!

Yukhei resented Johnny for making him agree to this. Which was saying a lot, because Yukhei only hated the guy at the McDonald’s Drive-Thru that insulted Mark’s watermelon milkshake idea during a 3AM outing. But, thanks to Johnny’s awful, awful words of encouragement and irresistible puppy-eyes, Yukhei - big, clumsy Yukhei with limbs too long to control and a nonexistent centre of balance - was entered into a dancing competition. But not just any dancing competition. He was entered into a dance competition where the _floor_ is _ice_ and he had to wear _knives_ on his _shoes_ ,  and not to mention all the sparkles. Yukhei liked the odd sparkle here and there - in moderation. He could already tell, he’d be drowning in them before the end of the first week. But, what Johnny said, Yukhei did because managers always knew best (or so Mark said).

That was how Yukhei found himself in the front seat of Johnny’s ‘dad car’, a black BMW, staring out the tinted window as his leg jittered up and down. Johnny peered at him from the corner of his eye.

“Xuxi, you’re gonna be fine, I promise.” His tone was the same he used when Yukhei was about to perform. His lyrics tended to slur with nervousness, so he had come to learn that that tone was a warning - _calm down before I light some incense right here and now_. (Johnny did that in the practice rooms once; the stench didn't go away for at least three weeks and Yukhei became convinced one of his rap coaches was asthmatic, as ironic as that might’ve been.)

“Sure.” Yukhei rested his chin in his hand, propped against the car’s window ledge. “What’s the worst that could happen? Oh wait- I could _die_.”

Johnny shook his head at the sarcasm that dripped from his voice. “Xuxi, I can assure you there is a naught-point-two percent chance that you’re gonna die while doing this.”

“But there’s still a chance!” Honestly, Yukhei felt bad for talking to Johnny like this. His nerves and apprehensions were all consuming - which was exactly why Yukhei felt a stone drop suddenly in the pit of his stomach as the studio building came into view. It stayed there, settled uncomfortably as he was lead inside by Johnny, who tried his best to smile reassuringly. The hand firmly on his lower back told a different story, though. It was a sign, clear as day - there’s no backing down now.

The stone doubled in weight as the staff guided him through how to latch himself into the stiff skates he had been given. He tried to stand - a poor decision on his part. He fell back onto the metal bench down almost immediately, arse stinging with the impact. The silver blades glinted up at him menacingly, villainously, and when Johnny helped him waddle over to the rink, he genuinely felt like that stone was about to rip a hole through his stomach with its weight alone.

Then the cameras came into view and, being the entertainer he is, he plastered on a beaming smile that felt just a little too cheesy. But it would do.

He let go of where he had been gripping Johnny’s arm and hesitated. For just a moment, he allowed himself to hesitate. Then he did what Johnny always told him to - he faced his reality and stumbled towards the plastic gate, also known as the only thing that separated him from his inevitable death by ice.

Waiting on the rink were Olympic skating legends and numbers two and three on Yukhei’s Comprehensive List of Intimidating People, Lee Taeyong and his husband, Chittaphon “Ten” Leechaiyapornkul. Because obviously - ‘no pressure’. Yukhei swallowed back the lump in his throat and greeted them, before stepping on the ice.

His smile dropped instantly.

Ten told him to make a short circuit around the edge of the rink, only one half, but he was already tittering dangerously on the damned slithers of metal taped to his shoes, and before he could push himself forward even half a metre, he fell flat on his arse. Ten and Taeyong audibly winced. A monstrous flush worked its way onto Yukhei's neck and face, and going by his reflection in the blade-damaged ice, he looked a mess.

He noticed Taeyong gliding over and scrambled to his feet.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked. Yukhei’s throat went dry and he nodded, grabbing frantically onto the rink's edge to stop himself from toppling over. Taeyong, suddenly realising just how _bad_ Yukhei was at this, startled and took a gentle hold of Yukhei's arm. Yukhei muttered his thanks, too focused on retaining his balance to offer anything else. Taeyong gave him a smile and adjusted his grip. “Just follow my lead.”

Yukhei found himself being pulled around the rink by Taeyong, who’s posed and perfected stance made him look like a 6-foot Bambi with the amount of slipping around the place he was doing. Ten came up behind them and began to instruct poor Yukhei, who was suddenly very aware of the cameras watching his every move. His body shook slightly when he inhaled. Like Johnny had said - or rather, _implied_ \- there was no backing out now. So Yukhei strengthened his resolve and took great care to absorb all the information Ten and Taeyong were relentlessly feeding him. Long strides, bent knees, straight back. _Relax_.

And he did.

Somewhat.

So, maybe he still had a while to go. But, he managed to go the entire length of the rink in two minutes (while only stumbling once!), which he definitely took as a win - regardless of the hour and a half it took to get to that point.

Now, he could relax. He hurried back to the apartment he shared with Mark and Johnny and promptly dropped off to sleep. He didn't notice when Johnny slipped out to get Mark from his own “TaeTen Ice Skating Crash Course”, and he didn't notice when they both returned, not even when Mark launched himself into the bed next to him and Johnny started clattering around in the kitchen for an 11 PM snack. He just lay there, sprawled out, arms and legs hanging over the sides of the single bed as Mark and Johnny talked over his unconscious body. He let sleep envelop him completely, as gentle as the blanket Johnny draped over him and Mark, who snuggled into his side.

For the first time today, he felt content.

And it was great while it lasted.

But seven hours later, Yukhei was awakened by an incessant prodding and Mark sturring next to him. An hour later, he found himself standing exactly where he stood under twelve hours prior; praying the deadly sharp shards of metal attached to his shoes wouldn't spontaneously collapse under his weight and send him spiralling to the floor (or maybe into an ambulance, if he got really unlucky). Today though, today was _the day_ . This was what his fate in the next ten weeks relied on. This was what his _pride_ relied on.

This was it -  the day he was to meet his partner.

A little nervousness was to be expected. Of course, it was. So, Johnny wasn't particularly surprised when Yukhei spun to face him, pupils blown out. His blades squeaked painfully on the tiles of the changing rooms, and Johnny winced.

“Johnny, I don’t know if I can-”

“You can, Xuxi. Trust me.” Johnny sighed. “C’mon, this is your partner we’re talking about. You should be excited!”

Yukhei muttered something under his breath. Johnny didn't quite catch it, but he had a sneaking suspicion he wouldn’t have let it slide on any other day. Just for today though, he accepted it. Just this once. Besides, Yukhei was wobbling away towards the rink before he could get a word in to even try scolding him.

As Yukhei’s figure retreated through the arch, away from him and head first into a world of cameras, ice, and sparkles, Johnny smiled a lopsided smile. Yukhei was used to adaptation, to ever-changing schedules and a huge volume of relationships that Johnny needs multiple spreadsheets to keep track of. He could do this.

 _Yeah,_ he thought, _he’ll be just fine._

 

 

 

 

When Donghyuck woke up that morning to Renjun’s shower singing, he made a promise - _winning doesn't matter._ After four years with the show, one of which resulted in him sustaining a leg injury that kept him off the ice for months, Donghyuck had had enough of competing. For one year at least, he wanted to have fun. He hoped he could be paired with someone that could grant him that. Not that he didn't appreciate his other partners - they were all incredibly talented and kind, but they focussed too much on the competition and not enough on the artistry of it all. Skating was so much more than just a sport. In an ideal world, his partner would understand that too.

Renjun’s singing stopped along with the shower, and Donghyuck found himself missing it. But Renjun allowed him no time to wallow as he emerged, throwing a clean towel at his unsuspecting roommate. Donghyuck peeled the offending object off his head with a half-formed glare towards Renjun, who just rolled his eyes. And proceeded to drop a bomb that had Donghyuck almost toppling over as he scrambled up:

“Ten minutes ‘till we need to leave, by the way.”

Donghyuck swung open the bathroom door, not bothering to lock it. “Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fucking-”

“Stop cursing and hurry up.”

“ _I hate you_.”

 

 

 

They arrived at the studio with two minutes to spare. Minus the morning’s chaos, it was the same mundane routine as every other day of the week, but today felt charged. As if electricity was suspended in the air, woven into the fabric of space and time; it crawled over his skin and through his bones, making his hair stand on end. Maybe it was the energy that radiated from the tens of people that bustled around the lobby - some manoeuvring large, imposing cameras from A to B, others intently reading and re-reading the script as their supervisor yelled out orders that no one seemed to hear.

“Thank god, we don't have to be part of _that._ ” Renjun winced at a large crashing sound that erupted from the depths of the backstage area. Not wanting to figure out what it was, he took off towards their changing rooms.

“Professionals’ privilege.” Donghyuck followed without a second thought. At the door, they were greeted by Yangyang launching straight for them. Donghyuck managed to dodge the incoming body, but Renjun wasn't quite so lucky. He was almost bowled over by their very enthusiastic coworker, and the resulting yelp was drowned out by Donghyuck’s guffaw and Jeno’s cooing.

Yangyang refused to let go until Yuta burst in. The door swung as far as it could at first but got caught in the carpet’s long fibres about halfway. Yuta was left to force it open using his entire body before it swung the rest of the way and their choreographer stumbled inside. He recovered seamlessly, but the entire room had already burst into laughter.

“Okay, okay.” He struggled to calm them down, waving his arms in a ‘quieten down’ motion, but the ferocity of it just made him look like he was trying to fly. Which in turn, made them laugh more. It was pointless to try and stop them - he had learnt that much in their years working together -  so he settled for focussing on his initial objective. “Donghyuck.” The boy in question finger gunned, grinning. “C’mon, your partner’s waiting.”

At that, Donghyuck sprung to attention. He overtook Yuta, ignoring someone’s - probably Yerim’s - yell of “tell us if they’re cute” in favour of speeding to the training rink, where he knew his fate awaited him. Yuta chased after him, easily keeping up. He didn't manage to stop so easily, though, and instead ran straight into Donghyuck.

“Sorry, Hyuck,” he said, but Donghyuck wasn't listening. He was bouncing from foot to foot, eyeing the door that stood between him and his partner. With a laugh, Yuta twisted the doorknob.

And there, backlit by an obnoxious white light that had Donghyuck squinting, stood his fate.

 

 

 

 

Donghyuck was incredibly attractive. From an objective point of view, Yukhei assured himself, but he was, overall, an extremely pretty man. Yukhei had thought as much since he had first seen him at the pre-filming dinner, but back then the lighting had been dim and he’d had one too many beers. Now, it the mercilessly bright light of the training rink, it was different. Clearer; it was an indisputable fact. Plus, his personality was positively magnetic - and it seemed all of Yukhei’s negative energy had insured his quick and secure fascination with the professional skater.

Their meeting wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, just brief introductions, followed by Donghyuck attempting to guide Yukhei through some basic steps. He said it was to “familiarise himself with the ice”, though Yukhei thought he’d done plenty of that in the last twenty-four hours (maybe even a little too much, considering the many close calls where his face had got just a little too friendly with the ground). He thought the ice was rather familiar. He could even see the indent where he tripped over his blade the day before.

Donghyuck was persistent, despite everything, and Yukhei almost admired him for it. But no amount of admiration could mask Yukhei’s utter disbelief and dismay when Donghyuck told him to skate _on one foot_. He barely managed to stay upright on both feet, he wanted to yell, but Donghyuck’s bright, open expression caused all protest to die in his throat. All that escaped was a small, fairly inhuman noise that Donghyuck somehow took as an agreement. He lead him to the centre of the rink.

They had joined hands, Yukhei belatedly realised. It took a few seconds for that information to register, and he flushed severely when he noticed the weird, electric sensation where Donghyuck’s skin met his. He recalled the routines he had watched online. For lack of a better word, they were _intimate_ . Lots of hands on shoulders and waists and hips, and he had even seen some, where the partners- uh- _fake kissed_. Not that that was going to happen to him and Donghyuck, no. There was no way the choreographer could be that cruel - though Yuta did seem to enjoy the drama.

Yuta also seemed to enjoy watching people suffer, based on the impossible routine he had choreographed for their week one group number. He stayed to the side with Mark, feeling solace in the company of his friend and labelmate, and Jaemin, the pink-haired actor with explosive popularity and a personality to match, whom they had been introduced to at both the debriefing and “team dinner” prior to the start of filming. There, Yukhei had been introduced to the other seven celebrities (along with the ten professionals and other staff), and they were definitely an odd bunch. A mixture of artists, creators, influencers, TV personalities. They weren’t what you would call “conventional,” to say the very least.

Amber and Irene were chatting calmly to the camera about what Yukhei could only suppose to be their equality campaign, while the professionals were preparing to run through their section at the start of the routine. Just minutes before, Donghyuck had been telling him how he had scammed the solo at the start off Renjun, saying that he could get him Chenle’s number. Apparently, Renjun was a great fan of Chenle’s piano skills and compositions. (Donghyuck said he had a crush. Yukhei wouldn’t blame him, honestly. Chenle was not only talented in every aspect, but he was so bright and energetic - it wouldn’t take much for someone to fall for him.) Renjun had almost been partnered with Chenle, but management soon decided their minimal height difference would make lifts difficult, so Renjun was paired with Jaemin, and Chenle with Jisung. (Too bad they couldn't have done the same for Jeno and Mark - Yuta was already complaining about how much he’s had to change the routines he had planned.) Now, Renjun was pitted against his own crush, all thanks to the intense rivalry between him and Jisung. Renjun had come second to him for the last two years, and he was determined to change that - even if it meant going against the subject of his admiration.

Jisung and Chenle weren’t even present, having been placed into the week two performance, but Yukhei could feel the competitive energy that radiated off all the pros. Even Mark’s partner, peacekeeper Jeno, was buzzing.

Yukhei caught Donghyuck’s eye. A static sensation jolted through him and he quickly turned away to where Jaemin and Mark were discussing the OST of Jaemin’s last drama. Mark gave him a funny look, obviously noticing the traffic-light red that lit up the tips of his ears. He didn't push, thankfully, but Yukhei knew this would lead to another “conversation”. The memory of the last one still sent a shiver down his spine. (Quick lesson: never make an enemy of Mark and Johnny.)

The music began, startling Yukhei from his daze.

Donghyuck was alone in the centre of the rink, accompanied only by the five pedestals that Yukhei and the other week one celebrities would be standing on, and another that held an ancient-looking speaker. He didn't move during the intro, only bopping along slightly. When the lyrics started, Donghyuck took off. Weaving his way between pedestals, he kept a bright smile on his face and glided over the ice without a hitch. It was as he performed a particularly fast spin, one that could easily send him flying if done incorrectly, that Yukhei recognised the song: _Rolling On The River_. A classic; Yukhei wondered how he hadn’t recognised it earlier. It was probably all the blood rushing to his ears as he watched Donghyuck skate.

Yukhei thought it was beautiful, how he was so in tune with the ice, as if his skates were an extension of his own body, and he couldn't help the slight frustration he felt when Donghyuck's solo ended and the other pros entered into the formation. They started the routine, and any negative emotions were immediately wiped from Yukhei’s mind, replaced with awe. Yukhei wasn't a qualified judge in any way, but even he could see the hours and hours of practice they had put in. All of this - their success, their talent - was formed from their own blood, sweat and tears. It was something Yukhei could relate to, having built his career up from the very bottom. Both he and Mark had moved to another country, away from their friends and family, to pursue their dreams. And, hell, it wasn't easy to get where they were now. But together, they had survived. Through the dating scandals, the hate, the threats; they survived.

Yukhei could only imagine what it could’ve been like for Donghyuck. After all, this programme was the only place that he could truly shine (and not just because of the sequins). He still didn't know Donghyuck particularly well, but he could tell he was the type to thrive in the spotlight and to relish in praise.

Yukhei didn't know Donghyuck that well, but he knew himself. And that fluttering sensation in his stomach? It definitely wasn't the twenty McNuggets he had devoured in all his stress, to put it simply.

He resigned, leaning back against the barrier. His head lulled to the side, prompting a questioning glance from Mark when it brushed against his shoulder, but even he had been entrapped by the fluid movements of the professionals. Marks eyes flitted from person to person and Yukhei could feel the searching in his gaze. Yukhei smiled. Mark did that a lot, he had noticed; especially when they promoted together. It was his way of “scoping out the competition”, he had explained, but also so he could get a feeling of the situation he had been put in.

It hit Yukhei then, that Mark was just as out of his comfort zone as he was. Guilt seeped deep into his veins and he stood up straighter, yelping when his skates slipped. Mark didn't react. Yukhei nudged his elbow and smiled as Mark shook out of his reverie. Yukhei leaned closer.

“Someone you’ve got your eye on?”

Mark looked at him, confusion lacing his voice as he spoke. “Not particularly. Why do you- oh.”

“Hm?” Yukhei quirked an eyebrow when Mark cut himself off, suddenly distracted by something on the opposite side of the rink. The professionals had stopped at that point, regrouping with Yuta to go over certain points of the choreography, but Yukhei noticed Renjun slink away silently, edging to where Mark’s gaze was so intently drawn. Renjun sidled up to the barrier, crossing his arms as he began talking to the lanky boy that had ambled in. He was difficult to miss, all long limbs and a shock of silver hair, sporting an unreadable grin - a mix of sly and genuine - and Yukhei could just about make out a similar expression marking Renjun’s face.

“Wow,” Mark breathed. His voice dropped low, so much that Yukhei had to strain to hear him. “Cute.”

Donghyuck skipped over before he could respond, joined by Jeno. It was admirable, how easy they made it seem - they weren’t even out of breath after all that skating and reruns and alterations. Yukhei wasn’t what you’d call a jock. He was _definitely_ in shape, yet he still found that after three minutes on the ice, he was entirely exhausted. The only visible sign that they had been exercising was the blush that marked Jeno’s cheeks; though Yukhei thought that had more to do with the heart-eyes he was giving Jaemin than physical exertion.

Donghyuck smiled at him. “So, how was it?”

“It was- uh,” Yukhei flushed under the sudden attention - the sparks in Donghyuck's eyes were blinding. “It was great. Super good. Nice.”

He winced when Donghyuck expression fell minusculely and he cursed his dumb tongue. Its inability to function in the presence of any cute boy was definitely one of the few detriments to being attracted to- well, everyone. Yukhei had had crushes on basically everyone; male, female, nonbinary, you name it. Even Mark and Johnny, when they had first met. Though, that was mostly down to their shared issues with Korea’s language and culture and had faded within a week. Johnny had helped them both, teaching them how to survive in the world which was so foreign to them, while Mark was the one to encourage him, in exchange for Yukhei becoming his personal, one-man cheer team.

So, he wasn’t particularly surprised at how quickly his resolve had fallen when it came to Donghyuck.

Speaking of Donghyuck, he quickly picked up his expression, fixing a wide, polished smile in place. It didn’t reach his eyes, not at all. But he brushed it off and took Yukhei by the wrist. He tugged him to where the podiums stood, menacingly awaiting him.

“Now, it’s your turn.”

 

 

 

As it turns out, Yukhei might have been wrong about Yuta’s character. The celebrities’ part of the routine was hardy difficult - they just stood, dancing on their podium for a large portion of it, which Yukhei was partially thankful for, but he also found it _utterly humiliating_. They were all so exposed up there, with nothing but a fake microphone to hide behind. Yukhei was a performer, but he did not dance. Ever. He let the music take over his body; it was entirely subconscious. But up there, he was too aware. Not only of his own movements but of everyone else’s.

Especially Donghyuck's.

As he said - magnetic.

All in all, he was only on the ice for a minute or two. He dreaded it. It was a wonder how people could find enjoyment in it; he always felt so unsafe. Not only that, but he felt _inadequate_. He looked at the others, at their progress, and a bullet of envy shot through him, accompanied by guilt, spilling from the wound. Every single time. They drifted over the ice, all smiles and laughs, while Yukhei scooted along behind them, an impending sense of dread threatening to knock him off balance.

A hand landed on his arm and he looked up to see Jeno, smiling.

“C’mon,” he said, “you’re doing great.”

Yukhei couldn't quite believe him.

 

 

 

 

Donghyuck wasn't known for his patience. He liked things to be quick and neatly done, so he could focus on other, more pressing matters. Like the TV series he had accidentally started watching at 4AM and was now addicted to.

But with Yukhei, that was nearly impossible. He needed a lot of work, to say the least.

It was just the two of them, minus Kun, who was in his nurse’s office on standby, as always. They had twenty minutes left of their two-hour-long practice slot and had barely gotten around to learning the chorus. Donghyuck wondered how Yukhei managed to store so many lyrics and melodies in that head of his, when he could barely remember two eight-counts of choreography. Donghyuck’s other partners may have been overly competitive, but at least they had _some_ muscle memory.

Maybe it was a mean thought, but Donghyuck was at the end of his wit.

“Just skate towards me. This way!” The urge to give up, to throw in the towel and run away was strong, but Donghyuck pushed it down. He had a job to do. “Yukhei you need to- no stop- skate _this_ way! Stop running into the wall- oh fuck, are you okay?”

Yukhei had slipped, again, and was sprawled out on the ice, unmoving. Panic shot through him. He yelled out for Kun, voice cracking as he knelt down, but Yukhei bolted up without warning. Their heads bashed together and Donghyuck lost his balance. For the first time, he joined Yukhei, lying on the ice as he clutched his head and his arse. Yukhei was in a similar state, but managed to call out to Kun, who had rushed from his office, first aid kit in hand.

“Sorry, false alarm!”

Kun froze. He muttered something about “damn teens,” before turning around and disappearing around the corner.

For a few moments, the only sound that surrounded them was the whirring of the air conditioning, seeming louder than ever, until Donghyuck gave up.

“What the _fuck._ ”

“Uh-”

“Oh, my ass _hurts_ , how do you do this all the time?” Donghyuck paused. “ _Shit,_ sorry-”

Yukhei was laughing. He wasn't just laughing - he was _crying_ with laughter. “It’s- it’s okay- fuck, I-” He took a deep breath in, trying to calm himself. (It didn't work.)

Soon, Donghyuck processed what was happening. He’d overreacted, annoyed Kun, fallen over, and indirectly insulted the one guy he was supposed to be nice to. But, he’d also made that same guy laugh so hard, he looked ready to piss himself.

And, as Donghyuck sat on the ice, joggers damp, and laughing at his own dumbassery, he thought that maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't be so bad.

 

 

 

 

The night of the performance came far too quick. One moment, Yukhei was practising in the always-blinding light of the training rink, accompanied by Donghyuck, Yuta and even Kun, just in case of injury, and the next moment he was being ambushed by makeup, hair spray, and all sorts of other things he was fairly sure could give him a plethora of health issues - but that wasn't what he was the most concerned about, not by far. What he dreaded the most- what he _feared_ most deeply-

\- it was the sparkles.

The last time he had been surrounded by this many sparkles was when he and Donghyuck filmed their first introductions as a pair, and that was definitely not a pleasant experience. (When asked why he had agreed to compete, Yukhei had laughed nervously, answering “it looked fun!” and he could tell Donghyuck didn’t believe him. He wouldn't either, but if it’s a good enough lie for television, then maybe he could believe it too.)

It wasn’t they were “too feminine” or any of that bullshit, but because they were _itchy_ and _uncomfortable_ and _not_ what he wanted to be wearing while dancing _on ice_.

That was another thing; the skating.

Simply put, he was regretting every decision he had ever made, leading up to that very moment. “Nervous” would be the understatement of the year, not to mention entirely inaccurate. He wasn't nervous, he was… worried. Which- yeah, they overlap in some places, but the distinction mattered to him. He was worried. About remembering the routine, about making a fool of himself, about getting _injured_.

That was always his main concern. Fun fact: Yukhei had never broken a bone. Strange, considering his natural clumsiness, but his parents had always tried to limit the injuries he sustained, even going as far as to place foam around all door handles after he was almost stabbed by one. And that carefulness had carried on into adulthood, he supposed.

Donghyuck, on the other hand, was the least self-preserving person Yukhei had ever seen. He was entirely unconcerned for his own health on and off the ice. More than once had Yukhei found himself short of breath just _watching_ his partner. (Admittedly, Yukhei knew little to nothing about the dangers of ice skating - other than falling over, which he had done many _many_ times - but Renjun did, and when Renjun had told Donghyuck multiple times that _no, you can't do a headbanger on the first week_ , Yukhei thought he had good reason for concern.)

You see, Donghyuck really liked lifts. Yuta had consistently complained about the sheer volume of them “ruining” his choreography, until Donghyuck had eventually (and reluctantly) given up. He had taken Yukhei by the elbow, leading him away and poking his tongue out at Yuta, whose bemused scoff couldn’t hide the grin that grew over his features.

Lifts were another thing Yukhei wasn’t fond of. Sure, he was strong and Donghyuck was only small, but the physical strain wasn't the issue. It was that he lacked trust; in himself and Donghyuck. It didn't matter how many times they practised on land and on ice - Yukhei could never stop the quiver in his arms when he hoisted Donghyuck into the air, nor could he ignore the electricity that shot up spine whenever they touched. He told himself to focus, to pay attention to what was being taught, not just on the slight squish of Donghyuck’s waist under his hands.

If it wasn't obvious enough, he had failed. And now, he was feeling the subsequent panic that came with it.

He emerged from hair and makeup already exhausted after being fussed over for an hour. He sought out Mark and found him lounging next to Jaemin as they scrolled mindlessly through their Twitter feeds and ignored the tornado of staff and performers that circled them. Yukhei plopped onto the sofa opposite. He tried to relax, maybe nap for a while, but Donghyuck’s voice ordering him to go over the choreography at every given moment was ever-present at the forefront of his mind. Airing didn't start for another fifteen minutes, so he sunk into the cushion and set to work.

And Yukhei really _did_ mean to revise their routine. But when a whole Lee Donghyuck was standing right behind you, resting on the back of your seat, it became a little difficult to concentrate. He chatted away to Renjun and Jeno, something technical that Yukhei didn't have the experience nor the brain power to understand. Maybe when he wasn’t undergoing some very serious emotional turmoil over how many sequins were on his suit (it wasn't a lot, not compared to Mark, who was tucked into a bedazzled bowtie - but Yukhei liked to be overdramatic sometimes), he’d be able to comprehend the terminology that was being thrown back and forth, but not today.

As it turned out, Yukhei could easily spend fifteen minutes distracted by a pretty boy. The sinking in his gut was no surprise, but his self-pitying time was soon interrupted with - a battle cry? - from Donghyuck. He pulled Yukhei from his seat, buzzing as they lined up, ready to be called onto the ice. With one hand tangled in Yukhei’s sleeve, Donghyuck grinned to himself. Yukhei knew by now he was giving himself a mental pep talk, but he couldn't help but think: _fuck, I wish that was me._ He wanted a pep talk. He wanted a pep talk _from Donghyuck_ . But his heart? He didn't know if the poor thing could handle it. So he glared reverently at the floor, hoping and praying for two things. 1) Not to make a complete and utter fool of himself on live television, and 2) do anything, anything _at all_ , to stop the heat that sparked from Donghyuck’s hand as it brushed against his skin. It flared up his arm, flames licking his cheeks and painting them with hues of rose that bloomed under Donghyuck's natural sunlight.

And, God, was it bright.

 

 

 

 

Yukhei stumbled off the ice, lead (somehow enthusiastically) by Donghyuck. He still felt the adrenaline rushing through his veins, muddling his thought processes as he stepped onto the platform and planted himself next to Mark. Jaemin stopped beside him, grinning that boyish grin that could make anyone's heart skip a beat. Especially Jeno, who almost tripped on his skates at the sight. (His face was a spectacle - Yukhei wouldn't be surprised if it was all over social media in the next three hours.) (Spoiler: it was.)

He noticed two things: 1) Jung Jaehyun and Kim Doyoung were a lot smaller than they looked on TV, and 2) the judges were _scary_ . Not only did they look mean, but Ten and Taeyong were the only ones smiling - Dong Sicheng and Kim Jungwoo were completely poker-faced, and Yukhei only remembers feeling this intimidated when he was asked to dance at his audition all those years ago. But back then there had only been Johnny and some intern that most likely couldn't tell a twist from a turn - now, these were _professionals_. Professionals that wouldn't hesitate the critique Yukhei’s every move and while Yukhei loved constructive criticism, he was still a sensitive soul that could not handle being spit-roasted by two gold medalists, one world-renowned dancer and the musical star of their generation. Jungwoo was only a year older than him and had starred in more musicals than Yukhei had produced songs, and Sicheng had been voted number one dancer in thirty countries, so, yeah - he was intimidated. He made a mental note to add them to Yukhei’s Comprehensive List of Intimidating People, taking over Ten and Taeyong for second and third place.

Having Doyoung and Jaehyun there was a relief though. The hosts were welcoming and, if anything, made the time he spent on that stage feel a lot shorter. He escaped in minutes, stumbling back onto the ice to make his exit through the blue-lit tunnel he had entered from.

Donghyuck had already rushed off ahead and Yukhei watched him boast to Renjun and Jaemin, so distracted that Mark and Jeno managed to catch him off guard as they came from behind and sandwiched him between them. He grabbed onto both of them when he tipped dangerously on his skates and they _laughed_. Yukhei struggled to find the humour in it at first, but as he regained stability and watched the pair dissolve into uncontrollable giggles, he found himself laughing too.

They laughed and laughed until they were off the ice. Then, they paused, waiting for Yuta to finish his congratulatory speech, and burst into giggles no less than a minute after he finished.

For Yukhei, it was definitely one of his happiest moments since this whole ordeal had begun.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad, at least not with his friends by his side.

 

 

 

 

“Oh. My. God. He’s hopeless,” Donghyuck said, slumping over the table. Jeno flicked his outstretched arm.

“Don’t be mean. He’s trying really hard.”

“I’m sure he is! But it’s just-“ he propped himself up on his elbows and buried his face in his hands- “it’s been two weeks, Amber and Luna were eliminated and I’ve only just got him skating on one foot. I swear the only reason we survived the skate-off was the pity votes.”

“That’s pretty difficult for someone of his stature.” Jeno raised his hands in surrender when Donghyuck glared at him. “Just sayin’.”

Donghyuck just grunted, returning to his face-plant position and raising his middle finger when Jeno ruffled his hair from the other side of the table.

Jeno sighed, shaking his head. “Look, I know you're frustrated but just think for a second. What if you can help him? Imagine, this clumsy, six-foot dude being comfortable on the ice. Thanks to you. How great would that be?”

Donghyuck raised his head, the mop of hair looking more like a honey-coloured bird nest than anything, and locked eyes with Jeno. Their eye contact lasted for a few seconds before Donghyuck's focus was torn away, instead focussing on the four that approached from behind Jeno.

He greeted Renjun and Jisung, who looked less than happy, and then Yangyang and Guanheng - two newer additions to their little, dysfunctional skating family - before immediately flopping back into his previous position.

Jeno gave Donghyuck a disapproving glance before turning to poke Jisung, trying to wordlessly get an explanation for his sour mood. Jisung yelped and jumped back, knocking into Renjun, who in turn knocked into Yangyang who then knocked into another table because Guanheng was smart enough to move away. Jeno barely stifled a laugh before standing to help Yangyang apologise to the other table, which luckily turned out to be Yerim's table. They returned laughing; a stark contrast to Jisung’s pout.

Jeno definitely didn't miss the indiscreet glares he was giving Renjun, and he definitely didn't feel the need to get involved, but alas, his friends were utterly hopeless.

“So,” he began, preparing for whatever abstract reason the two of them could have. “What's wrong with you?”

“I wanted to practice but Renjun dragged me away.” Jisung glared at the offender, who just rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out, taunting.

Jeno bit the inside of his cheek, thinking carefully about how to phrase his response. “You do know Chenle needs rest, right?”

Jisung looked up at him, eyes wider than Jeno had thought possible. They were filled with - what was it? Oh, right - betrayal.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed Donghyuck looking up, eyebrows raised in interest, and at the same time, saw Renjun's far-too-proud expression. So, he met his eyes and said, more sternly: “Jaemin too.”

Donghyuck nodded sagely. “Yeah, you should go easy on them. They're only beginners, you can't expect too much from them.”

(If he noticed the entirely exasperated look Jeno gave him then, he didn't mention it. But Jeno knew. Jeno _always_ knew.)

“Well at least my partner can do more than stand on the ice,” Renjun scoffed. “Maybe you should push _him_ harder.” Donghyuck glared at him, and realisation took over his features. “Shit, sorry. That was out of line.”

Yerim chooses that moment to pass by their table, which had fallen into a pool of silence. She raised her eyebrows. “Hey, you guys seem tense. Is Renjun being a jackass again?”

A chorus of “yeah,” “yes,” and “are we surprised at this point,” followed, nearly drowning out Renjun’s offended gasp.

“It’s all Jisung’s fault,” he huffed.

Yerim snorted. “Psh, you're just salty he's won two years in a row.”

“He has?” Yangyang perked up at that. “That's awesome!”

“Yeah, I have!”

Renjun gave his puffed-out chest a backhanded slap, frowning. “I did too! Plus all your partners were athletes!”

“And? It was my training that helped them, obviously.”

“Oh yeah? Well, if that's the case, then Jaemin and I are gonna kick your ass this year, easy.”

“Sure-”

“Do you two mind? I'm trying to think here.” Donghyuck snapped, though it held no real threat to it.

Scoffing, Yerim replied: “what a surprise.”

His response was immediate. “Were it not for the laws of this land, I would have slaughtered you.”

“Love you too!” With that, Yerim blew him a kiss and sauntered away, leaving the table to return to its previous idle chatter. Donghyuck decided to forego his internal debate in favour of watching Renjun and Jisung bicker while Jeno anime-sweat dropped on the sidelines, but he couldn't help noticing the eyes that were set on him, unfaltering. Guanheng was staring at him. Probably because of the scene he had caused, but he still grimaced slightly, turning to look around the other tables under the gazebo.

Even in through the thick blackness of night that surrounded them, Donghyuck swore he caught a flash of familiar dark hair, rushing away from the establishment.

 

 

 

 

“Sorry Mark, I’m practising right now.”

“ _What? Weren’t you practising three hours ago?_ ”

Yukhei pulled his phone away from his ear to check the time. “Oh. Whoops?”

“ _Xuxi,_ ” Mark groaned, “ _you're gonna tire yourself out at this rate! Don't you have practice with Donghyuck later?_ ”

“I need all the practice I can get, Markie.” He skated smoothly over to the side, bumping his hip against the plastic when he failed to stop. He hissed but continued regardless. “A couple of extra hours hasn't hurt before.”

“ _That's different- Xuxi, you can't- god, just don't overwork yourself okay?_ ”

Yukhei chuckled, though it came out somewhat strained. “Yes, yes, I understand, _darling_.”

“ _Shut up, dickhead. See ya back at the hotel.”_ And he hung up. The beep resounded throughout the rink, usually filled with people but was entirely abandoned except for Yukhei on that cold Tuesday morning.

He supposed he should listen to Mark, considering he’d already been there for four hours, but the twisting in his gut said otherwise. Memories of that night all those days ago resurfaced, using his apparently buoyant sense of inadequacy to stay afloat.

He needed to prove he was good enough. Not for the show or for the viewers, but for Donghyuck.

He had to prove him wrong.

So he did.

 

 

 

Yukhei had a terrible habit of _not knowing when to stop_. Meaning when Donghyuck entered the rink an hour later, he was entirely exhausted and just about ready to collapse and block out the world. Maybe even get Mark to give him a massage; he was willing to deal with the pain if it meant even a slight improvement with how tight his back muscles had become - he swore they might break in half if he moved at anything other than a 180° angle.

But alas, he couldn't. At least not for another two-to-three hours. He could cope until then, as he had for the days prior. This arrangement of his had been going on for days now, and he was fairly sure Donghyuck was completely oblivious - he never did pay much attention once he was off the ice.

Training began, running through the routine, minus any lifts that could require assistance - easy enough, right? But, as they moved on to Donghyuck correcting Yukhei’s posture, a wave of fatigue road-rolled over him. He stumbled; his head spun like a motor and he unconsciously leant against Donghyuck for support. Donghyuck seemed surprised but still took him by the arm to lead him to the edge of the rink so he could lean against the side. Yukhei gripped the barrier like his life depended on it, too focused on stopping the room from spinning he barely noticed Donghyuck speaking.

“Are you okay?” When Yukhei didn't respond, Donghyuck squeezed his forearm and murmured: “I’ll be right back.”

Yukhei immediately felt the heat missing from his side, replaced with the cold that was emitted from the ice beneath him and the unresting air conditioning. He didn't see where Donghyuck went, but he returned in minutes, skates clicking against the floor and a plastic cup of water at the ready. He placed it into Yukhei’s hand and after a few moments of stunned (and vaguely dazed) silence, Yukhei downed it in one.

“Thank you,” he croaked.

Donghyuck waved him off. “Don't worry about it. Are you sure you're okay?”

“Yeah, I’m- I’m good.”

“Right…” Donghyuck looked unconvinced. “I think we should call it a day here. How long were you practising before I came?”

“How did you…”

“I know what fatigue looks like, Yukhei. You need to rest.”

Yukhei had to admit, resting sounded like a _really_ good idea. He couldn't argue.

Donghyuck smiled when he gave a solemn nod, and his heart twinged. “Come on, I’ll buy you a milkshake.” He took Yukhei’s hand, leading him to the gate.

Yukhei prayed Donghyuck couldn't feel the traitorous beating of his heart through their joined hands.

 

 

 

 

From that day forth, Donghyuck banned Yukhei from practising without him. It was frustrating, at some points. Donghyuck insisted he drink an energy drink before every training session and no matter how much Yukhei complained about the taste and how he could feel his teeth rotting, he would make no exceptions. Other than that, it was… pleasant. Wonderful, even. Donghyuck was funny, kind, energetic, and Yukhei swore he could listen to him talk forever. Plus, he was beautiful - in general, but especially on the ice.

He was in his element, and it was contagious. Like he was holding the gates open and just _waiting_ for Yukhei to enter. He was getting closer. It was coming up to week four of the competition and he finally felt comfortable on the ice, even without Donghyuck by his side. Their scores showed it too. From a measly 10.5 out of 40 for their first solo performance (Yukhei still had war flashbacks about all those god-forsaken tassels. They were better than sequins, but still not fun) to 27 for last week’s. It was an unexpected improvement, to say the least. Donghyuck had been ecstatic about it, even pulling Yukhei down into a bone-crushing hug that definitely made his heart flutter. Just a little. (It was a lot.)

But now it was musicals week and Yukhei was shitting himself at the mere thought of his soon-approaching performance.

For once, it wasn't the skating he was worried about - in fact, he felt rather confident about that part - but Yuta, the little shit, was a master matchmaker (meddler) and he for sure noticed the way Yukhei would stiffen up, blood flowing to his ears everytime Donghyuck looked in his direction, and, being the well-meaning asshole he was, decided to incorporate a kiss into their routine. A stage kiss. (Yukhei had made sure to clarify. Donghyuck had stayed silent.)

His makeup artist prodded his shaking leg with the end of their brush, temporarily stopping its movement while they moved to adjust the beast-moulded polycraft plastered onto his T-zone. Even in that small moment of stillness, Yukhei felt like he was going to burst. He was a bundle of nerves - and Jeno staring right through him to get a glimpse of Jaemin in the chair next to him was doing nothing to calm him. He closed his eyes in hopes of blocking out the unwelcome thoughts that besieged him.

It wasn't until Donghyuck laid a hand on his shoulder that he opened his eyes, returning to a reality where Jeno stood over him, almost imposingly so. He took Yukhei’s hands into his own.

“Yukhei, you have to do well today.”

Yukhei took in a deep breath. “I really hope so,” he breathed out. Then he furrowed his brows and, to Jeno’s quickly retreating figure, called out: “Wait why-”

The door slammed closed. The last thing anyone heard was Jeno’s muffled voice, calling out for Mark. Jaemin finally looked up from his phone at the noise that could be heard even with music blasting in his headphones but returned to the performance he was monitoring within the minute.

Donghyuck chuckled. He leant down and Yukhei barely stopped a shiver running down his spine at his low whisper. “I said if we place anything over fourth he has to ask Jaemin out.”

“And he's happy about that?”

“Don't tell him I told you, but he's been looking for an excuse since they first met.”

Yukhei took a moment to process. “I’m… honestly, I’m not even that surprised. Jeno really ain’t slick.”

A bark of laughter escaped Donghyuck, drawing an intrigued glance from Jaemin. Yukhei didn't miss the suggestive glint hidden in his eyes, but he was definitely going to ignore the blush that it brought to his cheeks. It really didn't help that Donghyuck had perched on the arm of Yukhei’s chest - and while they had been for closer than that on multiple occasions, Yukhei couldn't help the feeling of something electric between them. ( _It’s just static electricity_ , he told himself.) (He was lying.)

The door opened and Jeno appeared, cutting off whatever magical connection they were experiencing with a single word:

“Showtime.”

 

 

 

Yukhei really wasn't kidding when he said he was confident in the routine - they had practised enough that he could probably do it in his sleep. He also wasn't kidding when he said he was worried about the kiss. The stage kiss. Because he really was.

Their performance passed in a flash (seriously, Yukhei could barely remember anything other than it being the final performance of the night), and before he knew it they were in their finishing position. Donghyuck half-lay on the ice, the result of a lift he was particularly excited about in practise - like he was with all lifts - and reached his arms towards Yukhei. He was supposed to kneel, he knew. But in that moment, in that very moment, something new crossed Donghyuck’s face.

Maybe it was just the lighting, or maybe Yukhei was just really, _really_ tired, but Yukhei thought his expression looked a lot like how Jeno looked at Jaemin, or how Renjun would look at Chenle when he thought no one was looking. Maybe even like how Taeyong and Ten looked at each other. He was reluctant to think it but maybe- just maybe- it was fond. Maybe.

But the middle of an ice rink was no place to think about such things. Yukhei knelt down as Donghyuck’s arms came to rest around his neck, fingers weaving into the horrific fake mane. Their eyes met. Yukhei visibly stiffened, but Donghyuck locked his fingers behind his neck, tugging him forward. Closer and closer. Close enough for Yukhei to make out every single perfect imperfection - small details that would never be visible if not for their current proximity. Even in practice, they had never been this close. Yukhei could feel Donghyuck’s heavy breathing on his lips. Donghyuck’s eyes flickered down and- oh, _right_ . They had to kiss. Stage kiss. The music was nearing an end and they had definitely missed the correct cue, but Yukhei had said he was going to do well and that meant _finishing the damn routine_.

So, he cupped Donghyuck’s face in his hands and leant in. Their noses brushed, only slightly before Yukhei twisted his body, shielding them both from the cameras. They both stilled, eyes open and breaths heavy as they waited for the last note to ring out through the air for what felt like an eternity in a moment.

(The redness of Donghyuck’s cheeks was from the skating, right?)

Yukhei stood up as soon as the music stopped, suddenly glad for the awful, itchy mane that covered his ears; he _knew_ they were redder than a tomato on a summer day and he did _not_ need that broadcasted on live TV and posted online for the whole world to see. He reached out a hand towards Donghyuck, who hesitated before grabbing it with a smile.

They skated hand in hand to the judges’ panel and were greeted by Doyoung and Jaehyun, both beaming somewhat mechanically, somewhat genuinely. The host smile. Even their compliments sounded the same, only half-real and yet still provided the exact validation he needed. Yukhei couldn't wait for the four judges to knock him right off his high horse.

“Would the judges please reveal their scores.”

Upon Doyoung’s cue, the judges gave their scores, one by one.

Sicheng. Six-point-five.

Jungwoo. Seven.

Ten. Seven-point-five.

Taeyong. Eight.

Total: twenty-nine. Out of forty.

It wasn't the season’s highest score at all, but for Yukhei and Donghyuck, that placed them right at the top of the leaderboard. Ahead of Jisung and Chenle, Renjun and Jaemin, and most notably, pushed Jeno and Mark right down into eighth place, with only Dejun and Yerim beneath them.

And boy, did it feel good. Donghyuck startled, yelling out as he spun on his heel to give a frozen Yukhei a disbelieving slap on the arm. Yukhei looked down at him, mouth hung open. He was pulled into a hug and wrapped his arms around Donghyuck’s waist before spinning him around. (Doyoung didn't seem too happy when he was almost hit by Donghyuck’s flailing legs, but a brief nudge from Jaehyun was enough to put a smile back on his face.)

Yukhei had lost all consideration for others and was far too focused on the blinding smile Donghyuck had directed towards him, all while simultaneously ignoring the tiny devil that whispered, over and over, “ _kiss him_ ” into his ear. He could never forgive himself for depriving the world of that smile, even for a second.

Neither of them stopped smiling. They stuttered through their final ments, barely managing to make their way back through the ice tunnel - which for once, didn't seem like an endless abyss with an overactive smoke machine. For once, Yukhei could see the light at the end of the tunnel. And with Donghyuck at his side, it seemed brighter than ever.

The waiting room felt bigger, somehow, and when Jeno ran up to him with open arms, he graciously accepted - plus, the compliments that accompanied it did wonders for his ego. Mark joined them soon, and from the corner of his eye, Yukhei noticed Donghyuck swamping Renjun in a suffocating hug before he dragged Jisung into the fray. Chenle giggled at them, before taking a running start to pounce on the pile, ending up awkwardly perched on Renjun. Yukhei sent him a sympathetic glance, knowing exactly how a felt to be faced with that much cuteness in that sort of proximity (he definitely did _not_ sneak a peek at Donghyuck, _never_ ), but his attention was soon drawn back to the two that basically hung from his arms. Strange, considering he’d never taken either of them as the affectionate types, but the more you know, he supposed.

“Hei, I literally love you. So much.” It took him a few seconds to remember why Jeno was being so dramatic, but he grinned when he remembered.

“So, why are you still here? Shouldn't you be confessing to Jaemin?” Jeno separated from him immediately and rushed off with a hurried “bye” - but he couldn't move fast enough for Yukhei to miss the bright red that tinted his ears.

He turned back to Mark. “And you. Why are _you_ so happy?”

“Can I not be happy for my best friend in the whole wide world?” Mark gasped in mock offence but immediately broke into giggles. “Nah, I'm just happy we're at the bottom of the leaderboard now.”

“You're- you're happy about that?”

“I mean, not really, but, uh,” he quietened to a whisper. “You know Jisung right?”

Yukhei nodded. And then- _oh_. “The one you have a crush-”

Mark slapped a hand over his mouth. “You're so loud!” he hissed. Yukhei was pulled out into the corridor wearing an expression too happy to be smug, but he was trying.

“Markie has a crush,” he singsonged, drawing an exasperated sigh from Mark, though his smile was obvious.

“Stop, you-” he collapsed into a fit of laughter, clutching his stomach like it was about to fall out. “Stop making me laugh! This is serious!”

“Sure, and I got an A-star in Chemistry.” Mark punched his shoulder harmlessly, still laughing.

“Look,” he began, wiping a single tear from his eye. “Jeno said that all the professionals have a rule that they can only date the non-professionals if they've been eliminated.”

“So that means…”

“It means that if I get eliminated today, I can-” he lowered into a whisper- “ask Jisung out.”

Yukhei didn't even try to muffle his squeal of glee, just enveloped Mark in a hug that almost had him gasping for breath. He peeled himself away limb by limb and before either of them could say anything more, they were called back to the ice.

Eliminations were based on the judges' scores, combined with viewers votes, so Yukhei was pleasantly surprised when he and Donghyuck were announced as the first pair safe. He was even more pleasantly surprised when Donghyuck hugged him with such force, he was almost knocked right off his skates. The cheers were deafening, so much so that Yukhei could barely hear what Donghyuck said to him.

“I can't hear you,” he called over the noise. (He swore he heard Johnny wolf whistling - sometimes Yukhei thought Johnny might as well sign his adoption papers if he wanted to be such a _dad_.)

Red bloomed under Donghyuck's skin when he tiptoed to talk into Yukhei's ear. “I said, you were great out there.”

“Oh,” was all Yukhei managed to say before their spotlight went out, signifying their passage to the next round. Even in the dull, LED light that enveloped them, Donghyuck's eyes still shone like diamonds; they sparked, electric.

Mark and Jeno weren't so lucky. They ended up in the skate-off, losing three out of four votes to Dejun and Yerim - the judges said they lacked adventurousness in their routines, which Doyoung easily countered, arguing they were of a similar height and weight, so lifts were difficult to include, (Yukhei could already see Yuta nodding furiously behind the scenes, not happy with his choreography being insulted) but was countered byJaehyun, who revealed his soft spot for Jeno and subsequently Mark. But they took their elimination like champs, earning a resounding “aw” from the audience. To most, their smiles might have been piteous, but Donghyuck scoffed from where he was draped over one half of the sofa, turning to Yukhei as he pointed up at the screen.

“Get a load of this guy! He doesn't even care about the competition, he just wants a boyfriend!”

Yukhei chuckled, ignoring the alarm bells blaring in the back of his mind. “Mark too.”

Donghyuck’s expression turned confused - his eyebrows knitted together as he tried to put the clues together. He gasped when the realisation finally hit him. “Oh my god, he has the hots for Sungie, doesn't he.” He scoffed when Yukhei just grinned, sinking further into his seat. “I swear, everyone has a crush here! We might as well be a matchmaking service.”

“Haha, yeah.” He ignored the glance Donghyuck's gave him, favouring to scroll mindlessly through his Instagram explore page. He resolutely ignored Donghyuck staring at him and forced himself to stop fidgeting, but it wasn't enough. Donghyuck crawled over to his side of the sofa, peering at his screen. He didn't speak, but Yukhei was far from at ease.

For good reason, apparently.

“Do you have a crush?” Yukhei almost dropped his phone at his partner's words. He straightened out, looking anywhere but at Donghyuck, the demon. The unfairly hot demon that had Yukhei's heart racing with every small movement. Even the sound of his voice made Yukhei feel like his hopeless romantic high school self again. Not that he'd ever really escaped that phase, but Donghyuck made it clear that he was just too gay to function. Donghyuck was way too close and getting closer; it was like he was back in that god-forsaken mane again, kneeling on the ice as Donghyuck's warm breath fanned over his face.

The door burst open and Donghyuck flinched away - and maybe Yukhei needed glasses because there was no way he looked _disappointed_. That was insane.

But what was even more insane was when Jeno emerged, sucking face with a familiar head of pink hair.

“Gross!” Donghyuck yelled. Jeno just gave him the bird, not bothering to separate from Jaemin before disappearing into the changing room and locking the door behind them. Yukhei excused himself, not particularly wanting to find out what they were planning to do together. He hightailed away as soon as he was out the door, not looking back. He didn't see Donghyuck follow him out, and he definitely didn't see how he leant his head against the door frame, sighing heavily as his eyes trailed Yukhei's retreating figure.

 

 

 

 

“It’s _different_ now, Renjunnie.”

Renjun just sighed, bored of channel skipping and of Donghyuck’s monologuing. “So you’ve said. Look, if you’re so sure it’s ‘different’, just ask him out.” Before Donghyuck could protest, he raised a finger to his mouth, stopping him from speaking. “Don't even _try_. You haven’t seen how he looks at you; I have. And believe me, I’ve spent enough time around Jeno to know what whipped looks like.”

“Wow,” Donghyuck breathed. “You're like a wise old man. You sure you're nineteen?”

“Literally, fight me. Right here, right now. Best of three.” He held out his hands, one resting in a fist on the palm of the other. Donghyuck gave him a questioning look.

“Rock, paper, scissors? Really?”

“Well, I'm not gonna _actually_ fight you. I need to be at my best if I’m gonna beat Jisung.”

“Love a man with his priorities in check.”

“Okay, let’s fucking _go_. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”

(Donghyuck won.)

 

 

 

 

What Yukhei wasn't counting on was the subsequent awkwardness that followed their performance. It was mostly on his part, admittedly, but he really couldn't control the part of him that, every time he looked in Donghyuck’s direction, screamed: _what if you kissed him right now, huh? You know you wanna,_ and every time, Yukhei had to yell right back: _no, Mr Creepy Inner Voice, because I’m not a creep, unlike you,_ and then he would huff like some sort of anime character, making Donghyuck give him a look of what could only be described as _utter disappointment_. Which was understandable when your partner was proving himself to be more of a weeb than a skater.

Awkward or not, they had work to do, choreographies to learn, ice to slip over on. Not that the last one happened too often. Only when Donghyuck waltzed on into the rink where Yukhei was already warming up, sporting _orange hair_. Yukhei was so shocked (read: gay. He was terribly, terribly gay) that he fell right over. He landed heavily on his behind and was so shaken he couldn't move a muscle. And when Donghyuck came rushing over? Well, he thought he might faint right there and then.

Donghyuck’s hair wasn't quite as bright upon second inspection, instead, it took on a more copper tone, but _hell_ did it look good. He, quite frankly, looked godly. Yukhei wouldn’t have been surprised if he _was_ a god. At least he’d have an explanation for his unrealistic combination of good looks _and_ personality. It was the only way, Yukhei decided. Lee Donghyuck must be a god.

But for a god, he sure wasn't the luckiest of people. He could blame Yuta for messing up the timetable as much as he liked, but could that really explain the simultaneous appearance of six other people?

Mark, Jisung, Jeno, Jaemin, Renjun and Chenle all appeared from the changing room, clad with skates and chattering amongst themselves. Donghyuck pulled Yukhei to the edge so he could call out to them playfully.

“Oi losers, this is our slot.”

Renjun raised an eyebrow and stepped to face Donghyuck. “Actually, Hyuck, your slot ended ten minutes ago.” Donghyuck spun to inspect the clock on the wall, but Jeno's voice made him turn around.

“It's broken.” He displayed his phone screen, clearly saying _10:43_. Their practice was supposed to end at 10:30.

“Oh. Whoops. Nevermind then.” Donghyuck took a step back on the ice. “Why are you all here though?”

“We were hoping to catch you two, actually.” Jaemin appeared under Jeno's arm, pecking him on the cheek (Renjun and Donghyuck both groaned in protest). “We decided to have a ‘Cool Kids’ skate. The others should be arriving soon.”

Yukhei yelped suddenly when someone pinched his sides and turned around to see Mark giggling as he hid behind Jisung, the lanky boy doing little to hide his boyfriend's more muscular frame.

It was safe to say, that little stunt set the mood for the rest of the evening, even stretching into the early hours of the morning.

Jeno called it “freeze tag.” It was a game he, Donghyuck and Renjun had come up with, where groups of people would take turns being the “taggers” and tried to “freeze” the whole of the other team. If they succeeded within five minutes, they would gain a point for every frozen person. Fail, and all the points go to the other team.

It seemed simple enough, even with the bounty the younger ones immediately set on Yukhei and Mark’s heads. But, as the evening progressed and more people arrived, it became increasingly clear that this game of theirs was definitely becoming a showdown of 90’s kids versus 00’s kids. It was savage, to say the least. At one point, Yangyang flung himself across the floor, tagging at least eight people as he passed. He eventually came to a halting stop, screeching as the barrier surrounding them got closer and closer. Hearing the satanic noise, Kun came running out of his office with Yuta right behind. They looked… suspiciously ruffled. And even as Kun berated Yangyang while checking for injury, Yuta just stared at him. Specifically at his arse, and so fervently that Yukhei found himself subconsciously covering Jisung’s eyes. (He didn't complain.)

They, unfortunately, didn't manage to drag the two into their game, not when they were so- ahem- _preoccupied_ with each other, but Yangyang did manage to freeze another four people by the time Yuta and Kun had disappeared, including Dejun, who then proceeded to almost single-handedly defeat their team in the next round. Guanheng was a great aid to him, however, managing to take everyone, even his own team, off guard with how seamlessly and silently he skated. Like a ninja. Yukhei wouldn't doubt it - he had the “mysterious” outlook but was contradicted by his effortlessly bright attitude.

Donghyuck, however, was a nightmare. All of the 00-liners were, but he and Yangyang were a force to be reckoned with. The ultimate tag team. Merciless would be an understatement; they were entirely unflinching and took no prisoners. Not even to their own partners. Wendy frequently refused to be un-frozen, though Sooyoung and Yerim would do it anyway, just to see their friend suffer as they snickered. And Yukhei? A good way to put it would be _on the run_ . Constantly. He even tried hiding, but once again, his excessive height failed him. So he was forced to run as Donghyuck tailed him leisurely until he got bored and sped up, catching him within the minute. Yukhei tried to get back at him - keyword _tried_ \- but Donghyuck was just too fast. Plus he was nimble, like some sort of cheetah, and could weave in and out of people consistently until Yukhei gave up. He stuck out his tongue, taunting as Yukhei made a face back. Eventually, it ended up being more of a “who can make the ugliest face” battle between them, but it was the most fun Yukhei had had in a while.

It ended far too soon, and, not for the first time, Yukhei felt as empty as his locker when he exited the building. He trailed behind Johnny and Mark, looking back to where the outside lights still shone bright, lighting up the surroundings enough for them to make it to Johnny’s BMW. It was as worse for wear as always, and Yukhei couldn't help the mumbled “mood” that escaped him as he clambered into the back seat.

He didn't stop looking until the lights were nothing but a spark in the distance. It didn't take long for them to turn a sharp corner and before he knew it, his spark had diminished.

 

 

 

 

“I’m gonna ask him out.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Fuck those stupid dating rules. Today was really fun. But it was even more fun when he was there.”

“That literally doesn't make sense.”

“Shut up, Renjun.”

“Love you, Hyuck.”

 

 

 

 

“You're insane.” Yuta was insane.

“Don't be a wus, Hei. It’s not that bad-”

“As long as you don't drop me, it’s pretty fun!” Donghyuck’s voice was far too upbeat for someone that was offering to be swung in circles, on ice, while Yukhei held onto his feet only. A headbanger. Yuta wanted them to do a headbanger. Not just that, but it would be the second headbanger of this entire season; Yukhei was shitting himself at the thought. There was no way, seven weeks into the competition, that Yukhei could pull off a headbanger. No amount of pouts and whines could change that.

 

 

 

Turns out, Yukhei was extremely weak to pouts and whines when they came from a certain orange-haired god. But it was for that reason Kun was now, an hour before the live show, poking and prodding Donghyuck’s wrist with all sorts of apparatus that Yukhei had never seen before. They looked mean. All metal and pointy and they made Donghyuck flinch so hard, Yukhei thought he was going to fall off the treatment bed. A place where he wouldn't have to be if Yukhei wasn't such a fuck up.

It was their final dress rehearsal and to say Yukhei was nervous would be an understatement. He was shaking, eyes darting all over the place and his hands were unbelievably sweaty. And of course, sweaty palms meant less grip and less grip meant more chance of his notorious clumsiness making their headbanger more of a head _smasher_. Which, for the record, did not happen. Nearly, but not quite.

Yukhei knew there was something wrong almost immediately. He should have stopped. He knew it was dangerous, so _why didn't he stop_? Simple - they were so close. Just two more weeks until the finals, until they could get a chance at the winning title. Though he knew Donghyuck wouldn't care, he could help but feel he owed it to him. After all, they practised twice as much as the others, just so that Yukhei could have a chance at being on the same level as them.

And now, their last chance was gone. Donghyuck had landed on his hand while trying to protect his head, but he was still entirely out of it. Kun said he had a sprained wrist and a concussion; they couldn't perform. This late in the competition, that was a sure elimination.

“I’m so sorry, Hyuck.” Yukhei buried his face in his hands, too ashamed to even look at him.

Donghyuck had always valued eye contact while speaking, so he tore Yukhei’s hands away and took him by the chin, bringing him close enough for their noses to brush. ( _Oh god,_ Yukhei thought. _He’s lost it. His brain cells. I killed them._ )

“Xuxi, you're a dumbass if you think I would blame you for this.”

Yukhei flushed. “But it- it was my fault?”

“It was both of our faults. You said you weren’t comfortable doing a headbanger and I made you do it anyway. End of story.” He crossed his arms, inching away to make room for the motion.

“Donghyuck, there’s no way this could be your fault.”

“Listen-”  
“I was the one carrying you for god’s sake!”

“Yukhei, I’m-”  
“Seriously, it’s _my_ fault- mhmp!”

A pair of lips interrupted him. Donghyuck’s lips. Donghyuck was kissing him. _Holy shit Lee Donghyuck was kissing him_.

It was more of a peck than a kiss, but what mattered was that Lee Donghyuck was _kissing him._ And he was - well, frozen. Very much like a lemon.

Donghyuck broke away before Yukhei’s mind could go spiralling off into how much of a citrus fruit he resembled. He was blushing furiously, even through the layers of makeup. Before Yukhei could react, he was apologising.

“God, I’m _so sorry_ , you just- you wouldn't shut up y’know? So I just kinda, yeah, I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable or-” his next words were swallowed by Yukhei gently taking him by the back of the neck and slotting their lips together again. Donghyuck’s hands immediately took purchase in the sequined fabric of Yukhei’s shirt, a little too enthusiastically and he yelped at the pain it brought to his injured wrist. Yukhei immediately took a hold of his forearm, checking fervently that the splint hadn't moved. He looked up when Donghyuck giggled, not moving from Yukhei's grasp. “I've been wanting to do that for a while.”

“You _wanted_ to sprain your wrist?”

Donghyuck rolled his eyes. “No, dumbass. I wanted to kiss you.”

“Oh,” Yukhei said, dumbly. “Me too.”

“Nice.”

Silence took over in seconds, although Donghyuck was still smiling, almost smug.

Yukhei was painfully awkward when he spoke up. “So, what now?”

“I don't know.” Donghyuck manoeuvred their hands so he could use his good hand to trace patterns onto Yukhei's palm. Yukhei struggled to suppress the shiver it sent up his spine. He looked up, and _wow_ , Yukhei was _gone_.

“Kiss me again?”

Donghyuck really was full of surprises.

 

 

 

 

He was shaking. As he climbed the stairs to his and Renjun’s apartment, Donghyuck couldn't stop shaking. Half because he forgot to bring a coat, half because he just made out with _Wong Yukhei_. He was ready to burst.

Renjun opened the door when Donghyuck rang the bell (he’d forgotten his keys too, obviously too excited with the knowledge that _today would be the day_ , stupid dating rules or not). He had obviously been expecting Donghyuck to be sad, or disgruntled at least - he had been eliminated, after all. He hadn't been expecting Donghyuck to launch himself at him, smacking a kiss onto his cheek.

“ _Fuck,_ I love today!”

“Hyuck, what the fuck _._ ”

Donghyuck jumped off Renjun and took his hand, sitting him on the sofa in their apartment living room. He was smiling wider than Jisung when someone gave him melon and he looked like a fool.

It was contagious. Renjun was smiling, but the only thing he had to be happy about was that he still had some of his mother’s home-cooked food in the fridge.

After what felt like hours of just smiling at each other and Renjun’s hands being trapped in Donghyuck’s iron grip, Donghyuck spoke up.

“I did it. I made out with him.” he followed his statement with a screech that Renjun could _feel_ in his _bones_.

“That’s awesome!” he wasn't trying to sound pretentious, but his ears were ringing and his hands were going numb. “Did you ask him out, too?”

“Did I- what?”

Silence.

“Lee Donghyuck, you moron!”

 

 

 

 

Three weeks later, Yukhei couldn't quite figure out his and Donghyuck's relationship. They were like friends, often going on pointless adventures while Donghyuck was recovering from his injury, and once he was back on the ice, Yukhei would often visit him at the training rink, though he was banished from all professional-only practices.

Like friends.

Friends that kissed. Frequently.

So, Yukhei was confused. Never once had Donghyuck said the word “date” or “boyfriend”, yet they were doing almost exactly as all couples did. That's not to say Yukhei didn't enjoy it, but he couldn't help but feel hesitant. Did he want to date Donghyuck? Did Donghyuck want to date him? Insecurity had never been his favourite, but his mind welcomed it easily enough.

Keeping all that in mind, he really had no clue how to feel when Donghyuck approached him, smirking as he tiptoed to whisper in Yukhei’s ear: “meet me outside after the show.” He gave no other explanation, making the words weigh heavily on Yukhei’s mind.

But he had no time to worry about that, not when the waiting room was more full than it had been in weeks, almost bursting with all the ex-competitors waiting for their chance to perform for the final time. It was somewhat bittersweet, being reunited like this, with the knowledge that after today, there would be no more recording. The winner would be announced - either Renjun and Jaemin, Jisung and Chenle, or Guanheng and Sooyoung. it was tight, and with Renjun and Jisung’s notorious rivalry heating up the competition, there was no shortage of people in the audience, their raging cheers loud enough to seep into the waiting room.

Airing had already begun, and Yukhei watched the TV intently. Mark and Jaemin mirrored him, both keeping a hawk-like eye out for their respective boyfriends as the professionals’ routine began. Mark jumped when the spotlight turned on, revealing Jisung crouched in an elaborate starting position. Ever the supportive boyfriend, Mark wouldn't stop vibrating when he settled back down. Something akin to an excited puppy when it’s human returned from work - which made sense, considering all the professionals had been hidden away practising for the last two weeks, so it was difficult to find any free time for dates. They were all similar in that aspect, preferring to physically be together with their significant other, rather than through the phone. Jisung was the opposite to that, as well as painfully oblivious to Mark’s suffering when he rejected every date proposal with ‘extra practice, sorry… next time?’ and Mark, the love-struck fool, would just grin and bear it, then go whining to Johnny, rinse and repeat. Johnny made Mark promise to talk Jisung after the show; really, they’d all be lost without Johnny.

Before Yukhei could launch into a mental spiel about how Johnny was the bacon to his eggs (and other food-related metaphors), music began to spill from the speakers. The three of them watched with rapt attention as Jisung unfurled with wing-like motions of his arms and glided through a sequence of well-rehearsed motions, all of which gave the impression of something dark and unsettling - it was fitting; Donghyuck had said the title of the routine was _Black Swan_. The “Dream Team” as they had been named, worked on it for weeks, with the help of Yuta, and had kept it surprisingly under wraps. Hence, this was the first time anyone besides them had seen it.

As he watched, getting more and more entrapped by the performance, Yukhei could definitely understand why Mark was so whipped for Jisung. His skating was beautiful - Olympic-standard, in his humble opinion and according to Mark’s not quite as humble yell - and he flew over the ice with spectacular leaps and spins that made Yukhei dizzy just watching. The tacky blue light of the studio did nothing to amplify the intricacy of his outfit - a sparkling, black ensemble that was just as dramatic as his movements - but it couldn't deteriorate the quality of Jisung’s performance.

It was a flash of orange from the corner of the screen that drew his attention away, and the camera zoomed in to watch the other four emerge from the ice tunnel. Donghyuck, Renjun, Jeno, and Yangyang were swathed in white as they seamlessly joined the routine. Yukhei focussed on the choreography for a few moments, but his eyes would wander over to the head of orange hair ever so often until he finally gave up and settled on watching Donghyuck.

Even now, his skating - the way he looked like he _belonged_ on the ice - astounded Yukhei to the point that, as they took their ending positions, he felt as if he was missing something. A chill washed over his body as he stood up, clapping along with Mark and Jaemin and the others he had failed to notice were present. It passed quickly and he had no time to dwell when the doors burst open. They were ushered out by staff to prepare for their own group performance, down the hallways that had once seemed so long, but now seemed to move at light speed. Other than when they passed Donghyuck. He was discussing something with Jisung - he had his ‘it was good… but here’s an alphabetised list of all the things we could improve’ face on, so Yukhei could easily tell they were talking about their routine - but took one look at Yukhei and broke into a blinding smile.

“See you,” he whispered, hand brushing against Yukhei’s own, before grabbing Jisung by the elbow and tearing him away from Mark. He hissed as Donghyuck dragged him into a changing room. The door slammed behind them, and that was the last thing Yukhei remembered before he was whisked away and sent hurtling headfirst into a long-missed world of ice and deafening cheers, the latter courtesy of his very own Johnny Suh.

Even sitting down, he stuck out of the crowd like a swan amidst a murder of crows, though he “cawed” louder than any of the others. He was persistent, too. He just _wouldn't stop_. (It was a great distraction.) A pair of grandmas gave him a look, but that only deterred him for a few seconds and he was back at full force before Yukhei had a chance to breathe.

It was only with the first notes of the backing track that he stopped, and Yukhei felt his nerves skyrocket. It had been weeks since he had been here and now, back for one last performance, the finality of it all hit him like an off-track bullet train. But he wouldn't run. Not when the knowledge of what - who - waited beyond the ice kept him rooted like ivy.

 

 

 

 

It was a first for Donghyuck. He had never been nervous _for_ someone else - not that surprising a fact when you consider all of his friends are professionals - but Yukhei had always been different. Donghyuck didn't know anyone that had come as far as him, and he was infinitely more than proud. So, when the camera zoomed into Yukhei, looking like a perfectly bedazzled version of himself, a flower bloomed in his chest.

Watching Yukhei was nothing like watching, say, Ten and Taeyong, but it was _cute_. Very cute. He was a little clumsy; nothing like he had been, but still noticeably so and Donghyuck thought it was the most endearing thing ever.

“He's the cutest, oh my god.”

“Huh?” Jeno tore his eyes from the screen to look at him, apparently in a similar situation with his very own Na Jaemin, who's charming smile took no prisoners. “Oh, Yukhei. He's not really my type but-” cue poorly concealed guffaws from Jisung and Yangyang- “but of course he would be to you, loverboy.”

Donghyuck had to physically restrain himself when he shot back, “like you're any better! You keep on touching Jaemin whenever we’re in public, and you-”

“I think we’ve heard enough.” A moment of silence followed Renjun’s interruption. Until Yangyang, the snitch, spoke up.

“You know who's even worse?” his words were barely legible through the onslaught of giggles he and Jisung were producing. “Renjun with Chenle.”

“He just pines! It's like that's his _job_ ,” Jisung wheezed out, his head resting on Yangyang's shoulder. Renjun turned bright red, and soon the entire room was filled with laughter, plus Donghyuck and Jeno's terrible impressions of Renjun interacting with Chenle.

Seething, Renjun launched himself at Jisung and locked the poor boy in a headlock. Jisung pretended to choke, causing another wave of laughter to come crashing down on the group. “I'm going to _murder you_ , Park Jisung!”

“A little extreme, Injunnie. Why don't you start by beating him on the ice?” Jeno peered at them over the pillow he had buried his face in and watched as the two rivals’ eyes lit up.

The door opened when Renjun tightened his hold on Jisung, his yells incoherent with the giggles that laced them. It creaked heavily when it moved, only enough to reveal a single eye that Donghyuck immediately recognised as Guanheng's. The other finalist scanned the room with a purpose, somehow ignoring the five sets of eyes on him, but, upon seeing Renjun and Jisung's situation, slowly closed the door.

It was the clicking of the lock that made the room erupt once again.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, the Renjun fiasco meant that Donghyuck missed the large majority of Yukhei's performance. Guilt ate away at him when Yukhei returned to the waiting room, breathing heavily despite the large smile on his face, so instead of waiting for Yukhei to say something, he pounced on him as soon as he was within reach. He pulled him onto the sofa as gently as he could before tackling him into a kiss.

A kiss.

In front of _all_ of their friends.

That was new.

A chorus of cheers followed, though Jisung and Chenle's simultaneous exclamation of “my eyes!” had Donghyuck giving them the bird while he focussed on trapping Yukhei's bottom lip in his teeth. Yukhei whined when they separated and surged forward to capture Donghyuck's lips again, but came to a screeching halt when Jaemin wolf whistled.

“Spicy,” he said, causing a raging flush to climb up Yukhei's neck. Renjun - to be known as Yukhei’s Saviour from this day forth - quickly dragged his partner away to prepare for their performance, and Jisung followed with Chenle, but not before making a series of puke faces at Donghyuck and Yukhei. Donghyuck briefly retaliated, blowing a raspberry in their direction as the door closed behind them. Then, he put all of his attention on Yukhei. He had had the full intention to apologise for missing his performance, but Yukhei looked so cute and flustered, he couldn't resist swooping in to steal another kiss. So he did. And the rest is history.

(Not really - there had been room-wide protests, most noticeably from Mark and Jeno, though Donghyuck decided they were just lonely after their boyfriend’s abandoned them, and they were forced into a changing room. After that, god knows.)

They made it back just in time to catch the end of Ten and Taeyong’s performance, which Donghyuck was incredibly happy about. His idolisation of the Olympians was no secret to anyone, but the sheer admiration in his expression never failed to put Yukhei at a loss for words; he’d seen it multiple times when the couple had checked in on their practice. (Yukhei was fairly sure they only came to make sure Yuta hadn’t convinced Kun to goof off with him - not that he could _ever_ say that to Donghyuck, not when he knew the answer would be either an unfriendly slap or a brief but terrifying threat to end their- whatever they had.) Donghyuck watched with rapt attention as they performed one final lift that had the audience gasping at its complexity. Yukhei, with his still-lacking skating knowledge, could barely process it all, but Donghyuck's entire body was tense and he subconsciously leant closer to the screen. Looking around, all of the remaining professionals were in a similar situation. Ten landed back on the ice after a short eternity and a collective sigh of relief was released.

And Yukhei, despite having no clue what was happening, felt a similar relief when Donghyuck leant into his side. Mark gave them a look, somewhere between impressed and disgusted before rounding the sofa to plop down on Yukhei's other side. He and Donghyuck shared a glance that Yukhei couldn't decipher. It was only when Donghyuck raised his brows that Mark backed down, taking hold of Yukhei’s arm and resting his head on his shoulder. Movement of his other side assured Yukhei that Donghyuck had copied Mark. And so, he became trapped between his best friend and his- his Donghyuck. That was fine.

But what wasn't fine was the way both of them gripped his arms with unforeseen strength as Jisung and Chenle, Renjun and Jaemin, and Guanheng and Sooyoung skated onto the rink. His arms began turning numb as they took their places next to Doyoung and Jaehyun. Then, Jeno decided to sit - of all places - on the back of the sofa, right behind Yukhei. Meaning Yukhei was now, with the arrival of Yangyang setting on the floor in front of him, caged on all sides. Great. God, it wasn't like he was going to run away; they were just about to announce the winner. After all the hyper-competitiveness and passive aggressive words shared between Renjun and Jisung, missing this would be like falling asleep during the end of a movie - you could never quite experience it the same as the first time. So Yukhei lent forward as far as could, fixed his eyes onto the screen and waited.

“And the winners of Dancing On Ice 2019 are…”

Tension hung thick in the air, universally. As if the entire continent had stilled, waiting for Jaehyun to complete his partner’s sentence and announce the winner. Ten weeks had been leading up to this moment. Ten weeks of blood, sweat, and tears being poured into every performance, every practice, every moment they had been together. All of them deserved to win.

“Sooyoung and Guanheng!”

The crowd erupted into cheers at the announcement, but the waiting room remained suspended in silence. Such a result was… unexpected, after all _that_ ; even Renjun and Jisung had frozen in shock.

Really, they should’ve considered such an outcome. Guanheng was _good_ , Sooyoung was a natural talent, and together they were a force to be reckoned with. It wasn't fair for them to have erased them from the running as they did, and the guilt of such actions was evident in the awkwardness of Renjun and Jisung’s actions as they moved to let the winners take the spotlight.

They entered the waiting room, looking as if they were expecting a slap, but all eyes were still glued on the TV. It wasn't until Jaemin cleared his throat that their presence was noticed, and it took another moment of silence for anyone to speak up.

Renjun cleared his throat. “Well, I feel like a dick.”

“Big mood.” Jisung shuffled his feet, and Mark was at his side in a split second. “I don't know how we didn't realise it…”

“He's literally an Olympic silver-medalist.” Renjun slumped into a spare chair. “We’re so fucking _dumb_.”

“Had we not already established that?”

“Shut up Hyuck, I’m trying to wallow here.”

“Wallowing is for losers!”

“Did you even _watch_ the TV? We lost.”

Yukhei patted Donghyuck’s arm, pulling his attention. “Renjun’s right, Guanheng won-”

“Babe, please, I’m trying to be uplifting here.”

After that, Yukhei lost track of the conversation. He said ‘babe’. _Babe_. The word bounced around his otherwise empty mind, like a screensaver on a blank screen. Were they at the ‘babe’ stage? Already? Yukhei didn't really know if they were jumping the gun there, but he more than welcomed it.

And with the welcoming of such a revelation, came Yukhei’s next objective: mission _Make Lee Donghyuck My Boyfriend. (Or At Least Find Out If He Likes Me Like That.)_

 

 

 

 

The final cast gathering was a short, heartwarming congratulations to the winners, and a final goodbye before they all went their separate ways, into their waiting rooms to collect their things.

Yukhei did _not_ expect to see Johnny in his waiting room, to begin with, but he definitely didn't expect to find him making out with _Kim Doyoung_ while _Jung Jaehyun_ watched, but he couldn't say he was awfully surprised. Considering Johnny’s constant low-key thirsting over the couple over the past few weeks, he was rather glad he wouldn't have to be subject to more of Johnny’s complaints. He closed the door and turned around, waving awkwardly at Mark and Jisung as they passed. Mark recognised the shit-eating grin that painted itself on Yukhei’s face immediately. He flushed, looking down to his and Jisung’s joined hands before pulling his very confused boyfriend towards his own dressing room.

Donghyuck emerged from the toilet as the last strand of Jisung’s silver hair disappeared behind the door, which was promptly slammed shut. His questioning look was brief; before long, Yukhei was taken by the wrist and dragged down the corridor.

“I know I said to wait for me,” Donghyuck began. The cool lights made his smile seem blinding, and for a moment, Yukhei found himself breathless. He lowered his voice to a whisper. “But I didn’t think you’d mind if we jumped the gun a little.”

“Seems like that’s kinda our thing. Spontaneity.”

Donghyuck giggled. “A little less poetic, but I guess you’re right about that. We’re not exactly… conventional.”

Yukhei perked up at the opportunity that had finally be given to him. “Hey, what exactly are-” the words were stolen from his mouth when Donghyuck swung around a corner, winding him, and froze when a familiar voice emerged. With no time to stop himself, Yukhei crashed into his back. They both lurched forward at the impact, but Donghyuck - always the quick one - used the momentum to pull them forward, towards the foyer, away from the voice that faded out of hearing range.

“Chenle, I- I really like-” was all Yukhei managed to make out. It was Renjun, no doubt, but Donghyuck was eager to get them away, muttering something about not wanting to hear ‘that greasy shit’.

Donghyuck stopped when they were out of earshot, collapsing against the wall to catch his breath. Yukhei did the same and turned to Donghyuck, who smiled like it was the end of the world. Like he had nothing to lose, nothing weighing him down. Recklessly free.

He wasn't the only one feeling the wave of post-competition freedom, either. For just around the corner, waited Jaemin and Jeno, vacuuming each others’ faces. With their mouths.

“Gross!” Donghyuck spat. A resounding “fuck off!” followed them as they sprinted away in a direction Yukhei quickly recognised as the way to McDonald's.

It wasn't awfully surprising - they had almost become regulars after their elimination - but it was, what, 12AM? (Not that he was one to talk.)

“I used to do this all the time, with the other guys.” Donghyuck wasn't looking at him. His eyes were glued to the cityscape on the other side of the empty road, watching as the world went around; as lights flickered off; as their city became one of dreams.

Yukhei peered down at Donghyuck, admiring how the neon yellow from the sign behind them gave his already fiery hair an otherworldly look. He looked electric, the thoughts obviously racing in his mind generated friction that Yukhei was sure would shock him if he dared to touch Donghyuck. But Donghyuck had already pulled him, kicking and screaming, from his comfort zone - one more daring adventure couldn't hurt. Well, it could, but when Mark said Yukhei would “risk it all” for Donghyuck, he wasn't wrong.

He slid his hand into Donghyuck’s, and his entire body jolted. Electricity ran through his veins, in his blood and mind, and settled in his gut where slowly, a light flickered to life. Not blinding, nor was it dull. It was welcoming, warm; enough to see, but not be uncomfortably exposed. Different to the cold stage lights he had become so accustomed to.

Suddenly, a brief pressure was applied to his cheek, and Donghyuck was standing closer than before. The look they shared was quickly broken by Donghyuck, red-eared as he cleared his throat.

“C’mon, loser.” He tugged Yukhei into the establishment. They were the only occupants, other than a single table, where Yuta, Kun, Sicheng, Jungwoo, and another man Yukhei didn't recognise were tucked into the corner. Donghyuck greeted them politely (the identity of the strange man was made clear as soon as Yukhei heard his voice - he was Moon Taeil, the previously faceless commentator who had, ever so politely, pointed out exactly how and why Yukhei ended up on his ass in week five. Not that Yukhei held a grudge or anything, but he really didn't need to get so in-depth analysing everything Yukhei had done wrong. Which was a lot), but made a face when it came to Yuta, who returned it with double the intention.

After sufficiently pissing off Yuta until Kun had to pull him back into this seat to prevent him pouncing on Donghyuck, they made their way to the counter. Yukhei eyed the menu, then to Donghyuck. And again, until he finally cracked. “What are we doing?”

“Getting milkshakes at 12AM, dummy.” Donghyuck brushed him off like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but he spoke so dreamily, Yukhei was sure he was still hung up over the cityscape. The issue was obvious.

“Oh... do you have any money on you? All mine is with Johnny and he's, uh. Busy.” The image of his manager and fake adopted father figure sucking face with the hot hosts from the show he had signed Yukhei up for was an unwelcome one, so Yukhei began to fervently stare at the screen showing the image of a Big Mac. (With bacon, so not _actually_ a Big Mac. But, each to their own.)

“Ah, shit.” Donghyuck ruffled the back of his hair, and Yukhei felt tears spring to his eyes at how fluffy it looked. If he could just reach over, give it a pat, then maybe…

Donghyuck was out of his sight in an instant, but his voice rung throughout the aged walls that enclosed them.

“Yuta-hyung, you know how you love me _so much_ …”

 

 

 

Yuta caved after the third round of puppy eyes, and Donghyuck seemed sufficiently chuffed with his vanilla milkshake, so they were out the doors in a flash. They had the whole night ahead of them, (if Yukhei had judged Johnny's intentions with Jaehyun and Doyoung correctly) and they were determined to make the most of each second.

Donghyuck wasted no time, sneaking a sip of Yukhei’s milkshake (“a strawberry man, are we?” Donghyuck raised his brows. “I like it.” Yukhei spluttered something in response, but Donghyuck just sped off ahead, long legs striding as if he were in some sort of 90’s aerobic workout on VHS) and leading Yukhei to god knows where. He tried asking, but all he got in return was: “The hell if I know. Where’s the fun in that?”

 

 

 

Five minutes later, the milkshakes had been binned and Yukhei thought they were sufficiently lost, but Donghyuck wouldn't stop. Not until he stepped out onto the road, and out of the night came a car, heading straight towards him. It came to a screeching halt a few feet before it would've made contact with an unsuspecting Donghyuck, but Yukhei had already used his grip on Donghyuck’s hand to pull him back. They ended up colliding face-to-chest, with Yukhei wrapping a firm grip on Donghyuck’s waist to stop them both toppling back.

He didn't notice they hadn't moved until the car window rolled down, revealing Ten and Taeyong, the later of whom clutched the steering wheel like it would fly away if he let go. Ten on the other time, raised a perfectly-shapen brow at their predicament, making no effort to hide the blatant judgement behind his gaze. Slowly, he drew up the tinted window. Only his eyes were left when he stopped, called out “sorry” and the car took off.

Suddenly realising their situation, Yukhei let go of Donghyuck, glad for the darkness that shrouded his reddening face. Donghyuck stumbled at the unintentional force, but recovered at record speed, as did most athletes of his level. Even off the ice, he was graceful.

Donghyuck took his hand after a moment of silent deliberation.

Together, they ran.

To where, neither knew. There was one clear thing - the flashing, rainbow-coloured light in distance belonged to somewhere, and Donghyuck was determined to find it.

 

 

 

A large oak tree turned out to be the culprit; why it had been wrapped in multicoloured fairy lights was a mystery, but they were definitely an interesting touch.

Donghyuck peered up, lights in his eyes like sparks from a livewire. “They're pretty.”

“Worth climbing up a stupid-tall hill for?” He giggled when Donghyuck rolled his eyes. Cheeks puffed out and looking awfully like a domesticated squirrel, he nudged Yukhei with his elbow.

“It isn't even that tall-”

“-be my boyfriend.” _Way to go, Yukhei._

Donghyuck wasn't even phased. “God, let me finish would ya?” he blew a stray strand of hair from his eyes. “How rude. What was I-” he cut himself off, turning sharply to stare at Yukhei. “-wait, what?”

“Uh, would you- um- like to… date?”

“Dude… we made out in front of our friends. We're obliged to date now.” Like it was the most obvious thing ever, Donghyuck made a face that could easily be read as _are you actually brainless_. (“Nearly,” Yukhei thought. “Just hanging in there.”)

And with his last brain cell, Yukhei replied, “oh.”

Donghyuck’s smile couldn't be hidden. “So…” he stepped closer to Yukhei, grinning wider at the hitch in Yukhei’s breath as their arms brushed. Hand outstretched, he cocked his head. “Boyfriends?”

Yukhei broke into a blinding smile. “Boyfriends.”

 

 

 

 

“Xuxi, it was the funniest thing. They skated up to Guanheng, all nonchalant, then they just fucking bow down in the middle of the rink! God, I knew they felt bad but this- it’s ridiculous!” From the other side of the rink, Renjun made a point to give him the most enthusiastic middle finger Donghyuck had ever seen. When he stuck his tongue out in retaliation, Renjun yelled something in Mandarin that had Guanheng spluttering and Yangyang losing balance as he laughed - he even heard Kun guffaw from his office.

Yukhei remained none the wiser to the slander his boyfriend was receiving. _“The dumb energy that radiates… I’m in awe.”_

“Damn, even Captain Dumbass is impressed? I’ll get a signature for you, hm?”

 _“Wow! Thanks, Hyuck!”_ Once upon a time, hearing Yukhei be sarcastic was rarer than a chicken with four legs; Donghyuck's chest swelled with pride at his 'impact’, as Yukhei had phrased it.

“Uwu.”

_“Hyuck, did you just…oo-woo?”_

“I did. And what about it?”

Yukhei's answer was instantaneous. _“On my way to smooch.”_

“Go quicker!” He hadn't noticed before, but Jeno had sidled up to where he stood and was leaning intently over his shoulder. He had been spending too much time with his cats, it seemed - he was becoming just as nosey. Maybe if Donghyuck sprayed him with water, he'd go away. Or maybe not, because Jeno had dragged them to the community pool every summer for the last four years. Plus, they'd been practising for so long, Jeno would probably _thank_ him.

_“I am I law abiding citizen!”_

Jeno sniggered and Donghyuck pointedly swatted him away. The disgusting smooch-faces he made as he skated away gave Donghyuck an urge to curse at him, but he held back. Renjun had been interested in voodoo recently - maybe they could, who knows? Test it out? He was sure Renjun wouldn't mind after Jeno and Jaemin crashed his and Chenle’s date last week.

Remembering Yukhei on the other end of the line, he quickly responded. “Those parking tickets of yours say otherwise.”

_“That was your fault!”_

“Uh-huh.” He spied Yuta’s suggestive smirk and eyebrow raise from the corner of his eyes and immediately fumbled over his words until he managed to cough out: “Gotta dash, bye!” And hung up before Yukhei could fit in a word sideways. He leant over the railing to put his phone down, sighed, and made his way to where the others were huddled around Yuta. They were discussing formations but fell into conspiratory whispers as Donghyuck approached. (The words “whipped” and “Yukhei” were definitely used, more than once.)

“You're a bunch of traitors. I’m not the only one with a boyfriend here!” He cried, motioning to Renjun and Jeno with wild arm movements that almost resulted in him eating floor. (Or ice, in this case.) “Even you!” he swung towards Yuta, skates cutting into the ice. Yuta flushed. His mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but the only thing that escaped was air and half-formed, intelligible words. Donghyuck groaned, rolling his eyes. “Why can't you all focus on _your_ relationships?”

“I don't know about the others-” from the glint in Renjun’s eyes, Donghyuck could already tell whatever was to come out of his mouth was going to be one of two things: devastating, or _devastating_ \- “but my boyfriend and I don't _frequently_ break laws together, unlike someone…”

The innocence in his voice was enough to send Donghyuck over the edge. “One time! And it was an accident- I swear when I get my hands on you-”

Yuta suddenly clapped his hands. “Okay,” he said to the group, but his eyes were trained just behind Donghyuck’s head, on the door that lead to the changing rooms. “That’s enough for today! Please leave.”

The quake of confused whispers and (what can only be described as) noises that followed as Yuta skated away quickly dissipated into knowing sighs, head shaking, and in Donghyuck’s case, a single gasp. For in the doorway, stood two familiar faces.

Kun yelled when Yuta pulled him away. Yukhei waved politely, but Donghyuck was so quick in launching himself towards his boyfriend, the action was immediately cut off. They stumbled backwards until Yukhei’s knees hit a bench and a series of groans erupted from behind.

“Get a room!” Climbing off where he ended up falling, (Yukhei’s lap. He fell on Yukhei’s lap) Donghyuck stuck his tongue out at the voice that sounded oddly like Guanheng’s - but surely not. Guanheng was the nice one. He bought Donghyuck ice cream on a _Tuesday_ ; no one else had ever bought Donghyuck ice cream on a Tuesday.

In the shock of his betrayal, he decided - people were not to be trusted.

(Except Yukhei. Yukhei was always the exception.)

 

 

 

The sound of skates on tiles made Donghyuck wince as he pulled Yukhei into the changing rooms. He threw his skates into his locker and shut the door, turning to where Yukhei sat, cross-legged on one of the many benches that lined the walls. After a moment of deliberation, mostly contemplating how bad his friends would make fun of him if they saw, Donghyuck closed the gap and collapsed onto his boyfriend.

“I’m so fuckin’ tired,” Donghyuck said, but his words were muffled where his face was buried in the soft fabric of Yukhei’s oversized hoodie.

Yukhei hummed in response, running a hand through the hairs at the nape of Donghyuck’s neck. They were longer than before; Yukhei twisted the strands around his fingers, laughing out loud when he stalled and Donghyuck whined.

Donghyuck pulled back as his ears heated up, crossing his arms and angling his head away from Yukhei, who only laughed more at his attempts at defiance. Donghyuck was fully prepared to keep it up, but the absence of Yukhei’s warmth was striking and a shiver ran up his spine.

Yukhei laughed louder. “Cold?” Donghyuck made a face, scrunching up his nose until Yukhei finally quietened down. Inexplicably, he took the hem of his hoodie and pulled it up, exposing the Hello Kitty patterned shirt he wore underneath.

“Nice shirt,” Donghyuck snorted, despite the two voices in the back of his mind: one screamed “he’s so cute, oh no, no, no,” and the other let out a piercing yell at the warmth that escaped the polyester prison.

“I know! It’s my favourite.” and he smiled. No, not just smiled; he _beamed_ and Donghyuck most definitely felt his entire being turn red-hot for a split second, before he resumed shivering.

For a few seconds, they were stagnant. Yukhei just waited in the same position, expression unreadable; Donghyuck was still trying to figure out what the hell his boyfriend was doing.

But in just a single moment, everything became clear.

“No,” Donghyuck said. “Your hoodie’s going to stretch.”

“Please, I could fit a small army under here.”

“Receipts?”

Yukhei groaned, pouting. “You're cold. C’mon, Hyuckie.”

Suddenly, something clicked. “Cuddles, of course!”

“Exactly, cuddles!”

Donghyuck chastised himself for a moment - _You weren’t supposed to say that out loud, idiot_ \-  but still scooted towards Yukhei, who helped him inside the hoodie Donghyuck was fairly sure he had seen Johnny wearing.

The material closed over his head, and for a few seconds all Donghyuck could see was a particularly mean-looking Hello Kitty staring him dead in the eye. Surprisingly threatening, for a cartoon cat. Soon, light peeped in through the opening and he emerged. It would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted to make birthing sounds, but with his face ending up alarmingly close to Yukhei’s, his plans were foiled. Instead, his mind blanked.

He knew Yukhei was pretty, but this close, he could see every little detail: the laugh lines under his eyes and around his mouth; the tell-tale signs of prepubescent acne (Yukhei was a spot-popper, judging by the scarring and redness in some places); the curve of his lips that turned into a smile that could rival a God.

“Hi,” Yukhei greeted as his hands clasped together behind Donghyuck’s back.

Donghyuck indulged him happily, winding his arms around Yukhei’s waist. “Hi.”

“Fancy seeing you here.”

“This is where I belong now; get used to it.”

Yukhei furrowed his brows. “You belong in my hoodie? ‘Cause I can lend you one if you want-”

“No! I mean yeah, please do, but- no, that’s not where I belong.”

“Then where?”

“I belong-” Donghyuck began, leaning down to whisper into Yukhei’s ear- “with you.”

The pair both squealed, cringing with such force, the bench creaked beneath them. Yukhei’s entire body had almost retracted into himself, toes curling, while Donghyuck buried his face into the crook of his neck.

They were so occupied recovering from Donghyuck’s cheese bomb, they didn't notice the steps that steadily grew closer, until a camera flash and subsequent curse drew their attention to Renjun, who was now doing a very bad job at trying to hide behind a row of lockers. In his hand was a Polaroid camera, and from it, a photograph came shooting out.

Before any of them could say anything, Chenle appeared as if from thin air. He bee-lined towards Renjun, not even questioning his awkward hiding position as he bounced along.

“Gē, are you ready- oh, cute!” he plucked the picture from Renjun’s hand, putting it up to the light, which just so happened to put him directly in front of Yukhei and Donghyuck. “Is this- oh! Xuxi, hi!”

“Hi, Lele.” Yukhei grinned as if he wasn't currently wrapped up with his boyfriend - who wasn't awfully happy with being ignored. So naturally, he leant up and placed a big, wet smooch on Yukhei’s cheek.

In no time at all, Renjun had stepped behind Chenle, covering his eyes from the sight. “Don't look Lele, you're too young.”

“I’m literally a year younger than you.” Chenle pulled Renjun’s hand away, threading their fingers together instead.

“Still a baby.”

“You got me. I’m baby.”

“Ah, young love.” Donghyuck sighed. He attempted to swoon - not the best of ideas when you're sharing a hoodie with someone - and, as with anything, once the balance was upset, you were kind of fucked. Donghyuck was sent tumbling backwards, almost pulling Yukhei with him, but the latter somehow - _God knows_ how - managed to slip out of the hoodie, leaving Donghyuck sprawled unceremoniously across the bench. The hoodie’s sleeves hung down on either side of him, swaying in the breeze caused by Renjun rushing over.

“Shit, Hyuck, you okay?”

“I’m- I’m fine… a scratch, a scratch. Marry, ‘tis enough.” The fabric moved, showing the outline of a fist being waved madly around. “A plague a’both your houses!”

“I think he’s fine,” a new voice said. Jaemin and Jeno entered the scene with linked arms; Jeno was almost cackling at Jaemin’s mirthful tone, and Jaemin’s look of pride was irremovable.

Donghyuck sat up. “Fight me, Na.”

“Ooh, a fight?”

“Jisung, no.” it was a feeble plea - Jisung was already at Chenle’s side, chanting “fight, fight, fight” by the time the words had been formed. Mark just nodded his head. “That’s cool too. Hey Xuxi.”

“Markie! Did you lose Johnny again?”

Mark hummed. “He got abducted by his boyfriends. We probably shouldn’t go back to the apartment, because- uh, you know.”

“Oh. Oh _no_ , that’s so nasty.” Upon hearing Yukhei’s subsequent fake retching noise, Donghyuck finally stopped squaring up to Jaemin and focussed on the others in the room.

“Wait,” he began, “why are you all here anyway?”

The walls practically shook with the volume of their combined voices. But as always, just one stood out above the others.

“Renjunnie and I are going to an outdoor ice rink!”

Jisung's reply was immediate - a single shared look with Mark was all it took for him to shout, “count us in!”

“That… wasn't an invite.” Renjun deadpanned, though there was no finality to his words.

“Well too bad, we’re coming too.” Jeno piped in, Jaemin nodding furiously.

Donghyuck cocked his head to the side. He turned to Yukhei, who had unconsciously gravitated to his side. "You in?"

“Heck yeah. Quadruple date!”

 

 

 

The rink wasn't far, just a few streets away, but with the amount of complaining, anyone would think they were halfway through a marathon. (It was just Jisung and Chenle, but their combined voices were insistent enough that Donghyuck had half the mind to just tape their mouths shut.) The sun was just starting to go down, coating whatever it could reach with an orange hue - its final mark on this part of the world before it disappeared once again.

Donghyuck meant to ask Renjun about the incident before, but the other was busy with Jeno and Jaemin, naming as many different constellations as he could - something about aliens and UFO sightings, Donghyuck wasn't sure. But Renjun wasn't going to be paying him any attention soon, and Yukhei was deep in conversation with Mark about their next collaborative album, so he settled for Jisung and Chenle instead.

Not that he wouldn't usually, but the two had become close friends ever since their partnership and Donghyuck struggled to cope with the excessive number of inside jokes they had. Way too confusing.

He approached the complainers from behind, posed and ready to strike. Holding his breath and walking like some sort of shitty cartoon villain on his tiptoes, he used both hands to jab under their armpits. Both of them yelped, but Chenle jumped so far, Donghyuck thought he might accidentally fly all the way back to his hometown in China. Jisung pushed his shoulder, whining about how mean he was and how he’s going to call social services. (“Good riddance,” Donghyuck had screeched.)

When he’d had enough of picking on the youngest of their crew, Donghyuck fell back and traded places with Mark. The wink he gave as he passed by was questionable, but Donghyuck mostly got the jist of it. (Mark’s a sap, he decided.)

Neither he nor Yukhei spoke, but Donghyuck could feel Yukhei staring at him. As subtle as he could manage, he checked for anything on his face. When he came up empty, he turned to Yukhei.

“Is there something on my face?”

“No, no.” Yukhei waved his hands around, unsure what to do with them, before settling with entwining his fingers with Donghyuck’s. “Your makeup just looks really pretty today. Did you do it yourself?”

A flame bloomed in Donghyuck’s chest. It branched out, budding and growing until his entire being was warmed by it. “Uh, yeah I did. Thanks.”

A smile, and a reminder.

“Oh,” Donghyuck snapped his fingers, looking down at the stolen clothing he still wore. “Xuxi, your hoodie.”

“Hm, nah. Keep it. You look like an eight-year-old.”

“Hey!”

 

 

 

 

They were just a few strides from the rink when Donghyuck finally managed to corner Renjun. “So-”

“I’m helping you make memories here.” Renjun held out his hand and with it, the picture he had taken. It was a little blurry, the angle was off, and Yukhei’s feet were off. But the clenching of Donghyuck’s heart couldn't be mistaken. It was perfect. “No need to thank me.”

He’d thank him properly later. Maybe with a cake. (He already had the perfect “thanks for being a nosey bitch” design in mind.) For now, though, he settled on something a little less embarrassing, but just as annoyingly heartfelt. “I knew you loved me.”

“Of course, dumbass. Now go-” Renjun pointed to the centre of the rink- “Yukhei looks like a lost puppy, all alone over there.”

“Oh shit-”

“And Hyuck?” He winked, and Donghyuck rolled his eye. “Put on a show, yeah?”

“Of course. Who do you take me for?”

 

 

 

 

They were both breathless as they finished the routine - Beauty and the Beast, their very own. People around them clapped, whistled, cheered - but nothing reached them. They were trapped in their own bubble as they leant closer and closer, cold breaths mingling, and pressed their lips together. Just like all those months ago.

A real kiss. Not one for the stage, not just for show; they weren't hiding anymore. Gone was the old - the larger-than-life cameras and the fluorescent lights that flooded a room - but in came the new: the shared hoodies; the midnight milkshakes; the loud whispers;

The feeling of lips on lips.

People stared. People judged. The cold stung their cheeks, fighting to break them apart, but they wouldn't budge. They stayed strong, braving the elements because they were together.

And together, they were invincible.

**Author's Note:**

> [week 1 group performance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxsKYofM3Ew)  
> [hyuckhei's beauty and the beast performance](https://youtu.be/2mr1wmergWQ)  
> [jisung's black swan performance](https://youtu.be/qPr_M8Ocra0)  
> and a [headbanger](https://youtu.be/0TK0dmKeEtQ) if anyone's interested!
> 
> [my twitter!](https://twitter.com/ritokki)  
> [my curiouscat!](https://curiouscat.me/ritokki)  
> feel free to ask anything if youre confused!


End file.
